CHURN FOR PROCESSING FOOD PRODUCTS

BARATTE DE TRANSFORMATION DE PRODUITS ALIMENTAIRES

English Abstract

A churn for processing food products, comprising a rotating drum with an opening for loading and unloading the products, further comprising a hatch provided with elements for detachable coupling to the opening of the drum and comprising ports adapted to allow the outflow of water deposited on the bottom of the drum, elements being provided which are adapted to arrange themselves selectively in a position for opening and closing the ports.

French Abstract

Une baratte conçue pour la transformation de produits alimentaires comprend un tambour rotatif pourvu d'une ouverture pour le chargement et le déchargement des produits. Elle est également pourvue d'une trappe munie d'éléments pour le couplage réversible à l'ouverture du tambour et comprenant des orifices adaptés pour permettre la sortie de l'eau déposée au fond du tambour, les éléments fournis étant adaptés de manière à se disposer sélectivement en fonction d'une position permettant l'ouverture et la fermeture des orifices.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN
EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGES IS CLAIMED ARE
DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A churn for processing food products, comprising a rotating drum
with an opening for loading and unloading products, the opening being
supported by a footing with variable inclination, further comprising a hatch
provided with means for detachable coupling to the opening of the drum and
comprising ports adapted to allow the outflow of water deposited on the
bottom of said drum, means being provided which are adapted to arrange
themselves selectively in a position for opening and closing said ports.
2. The churn according to claim 1, further comprising a partition
which is fixed at a distance from a surface of the hatch that is directed
toward the inside of the drum and is adapted to keep the products contained
in the drum at a distance from said surface such as to avoid jamming of the
ports provided in the hatch.
3. The churn according to claim 1, wherein the means for detachable
coupling of the hatch to the opening of the drum comprise a ring which is
rigidly coupled to a perimeter of said opening and a complementary ring
which is fixed to said ring by means of spacers, said hatch being provided
with peripheral protrusions which are ramp-shaped and are adapted to enter
a portion of space comprised between the ring and the complementary ring
and to come into contact with the spacers at the ramps in order to lock the
hatch by friction as a consequence of progressive rotation of said hatch
about an axis thereof.
4. The churn according to claim 1, wherein the means adapted to
arrange themselves selectively in the position for opening and closing the
ports provided in the hatch comprise a disk provided with means for
movement between a position for spacing from the hatch and a position in
which said disk adheres to said hatch.
5. The churn according to claim 1, wherein the means adapted to

6
arrange themselves selectively in a position for opening and closing the
ports provided in the hatch comprise a disk provided with springs which are
adapted to keep said disk in a position in which it adheres to the hatch, and
with an actuation cylinder which is adapted to move said disk into a position
in which it is spaced from the hatch, overcoming the action of said springs.
6. The churn according to claim 5, wherein the springs designed to
keep the disk in a position in which it adheres to the hatch are supported by
stems which are rigidly coupled to said hatch and act by contrast against a
single ring with which the ends of all the stems are associated, a partition
being associated with said stems at the internal surface of the hatch with
interposition of spacers adapted to center said hatch on the ring which is
rigidly coupled to the perimeter of the opening of the drum.
7. The churn according to claim 4, further comprising a sleeve which
protrudes integrally from an outer surface of the hatch and is adapted to
support slidingly the disk in its movements between the positions
respectively for separation from the hatch and for contact therewith, a piston
of a single-acting actuation cylinder being integrally associated with said
sleeve, with an active face opposite the one directed toward said disk, an
outer jacket of said actuation cylinder being rigidly coupled to said disk.
8. The churn according to claim 7, wherein the outer jacket of the
actuation cylinder is provided with a bracket which is connected to elements
for supporting the assembly that comprises the hatch.
9. The churn according to claim 7, wherein the sleeve that protrudes
integrally from the outer surface of the hatch is open at one end toward the
inside of the drum and is adapted to be connected at an other end to a
vacuum generation line.

Description

CA 02623607 2014-01-17
CHURN FOR PROCESSING FOOD PRODUCTS
The present invention relates to an improved churn for processing
food products.
It is known that in the field of machines for the food industry there
are devices known as churns which comprise a rotating drum with an
opening for loading and unloading the products to be processed, such as
meat or vegetables, which is supported by a footing with variable
inclination.
Many operations perfoltned by means of churns generate water,
which deposits on the bottom of the drum and must be eliminated in order to
be able to continue processing of the products.
The aim of the present invention is to provide a churn which allows to
eliminate the water deposited on the bottom of the drum rapidly and in
conditions of great convenience in operation.
This aim is achieved by an improved churn for processing food
products, according to the invention, comprising a rotating drum with an
opening for loading and unloading the products, the opening being
supported by an appropriately provided footing with variable inclination,
characterized in that it comprises a hatch provided with means for
detachable coupling to the opening of the drum and comprising ports
adapted to allow the outflow of water deposited on the bottom of said drum,
means being provided which are adapted to arrange themselves selectively
in a position for opening and closing said ports.
Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will
become better apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive
embodiment thereof, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the
accompanying drawings, wherein:

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2
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the churn according to the invention,
in the operating position, with the hatch closed;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a detail of Figure 1, with the hatch
open;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the hatch;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a detail of Figure 2;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of a detail of Figure 2 in a different
operating condition.
With reference to the Figures, the reference numeral 1 generally
designates a churn, which comprises a rotating drum 2 with a loading and
unloading opening 3 and provided internally with a blade 4 which is
supported by a footing 5 with variable inclination.
The churn according to the invention comprises a hatch 6, which is
provided with means for detachable coupling to the opening 3 of the drum
in order to close such opening which are now described in detail.
Such means thus comprise a ring 3a, which is welded onto the
perimeter of the opening 3, and an appropriately contoured complementary
ring 7, which is fixed to the ring 3a by means of spacers 7a; the hatch 6 is
provided with peripheral protrusions 6a, which are ramp-shaped and are
adapted to be inserted, by utilizing the appropriately provided contoured
portions of the complementary ring 7, in the portion of space comprised
between the complementary ring 7 and the ring 3a, and to come into contact
with the spacers 7a at the ramps, so as to lock by friction the hatch as a
consequence of the progressive rotation thereof about its own axis.
The hatch 6 is provided with ports 6b, which are adapted to allow the
outflow of water deposited on the bottom of the drum 2, such ports being
distributed along the entire circumference in order to allow random
positioning of the hatch, and there are means, now described in detail,
which are adapted to arrange themselves selectively in the position for

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opening and closing the ports.
Such means thus comprise a disk 8, which is provided with means for
movement between the position in which it adheres to the hatch 6 and
therefore closes the ports 6b, position shown in Figures 2 and 4, and the
position in which it is spaced from the hatch, and therefore opens the ports
6b, position shown in Figure 5.
In particular, the movement means comprise a plurality of springs 9
and 10, which are designed to keep the disk 8 in contact with the hatch 6 by
acting by contrast against a single ring 11, and are supported by stems 9a,
10a, with which the ring 11 is associated at one end by means of screws 9b,
10b.
The stems 9a, see in particular Figure 4, are rigidly coupled to the
hatch 6 by means of nuts 9c by way of the contrast provided by abutments
9d and by way of the presence of spacers 9e, which perform the dual
function of centering the hatch 6 on the ring 3a and of arranging at the
correct distance from the hatch a partition 11 a supported by the stems 9a
and 10a, which is designed to keep the products contained in the drum at
such a distance from the internal surface of the hatch as to provide
assurance against any jamming of the ports 6b provided in the hatch.
The separation of the disk 8 from the hatch 6, with a sliding motion
along a sleeve 12 rigidly associated with the hatch 6 by means of screws 13
from the position shown in Figures 2 and 4, which is maintained as
mentioned by means of the springs 9 and 10, to the position shown in Figure
5, is provided by overcoming the action of such springs with the single-
acting actuation cylinder which comprises a piston 14a, which is fixed,
since it is rigidly coupled to the sleeve 12, and an outer jacket 14b, which
is
rigidly coupled to the disk 8 by means of screws 15, which fix a ring 16
capable indeed of retaining the jacket; the reference numeral 17 further
designates a bracket which is fixed to the outer jacket and is connected,
according to what is shown in Figure 1, to supporting elements 18, and the

CA 02623607 2008-02-28
= 4
reference numeral 19 designates a coupling provided on the outer jacket for
connection to a compressed air line.
Finally, it should be noted that the sleeve 12 has an end which is open
toward the inside of the drum 2, while the other end is connected by means
of a hub 20 to a line 21 for generating vacuum in the drum.
The described invention is susceptible of numerous modifications and
variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims; all the
details may further be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

Representative Drawing